By Steve Neavling
A senior Justice Department official has directed U.S. attorney’s offices across the country to draft plans for investigating the Open Society Foundations, the grant network funded by billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, according to a memo reviewed by The New York Times.
The directive, sent Monday from the office of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, listed potential charges ranging from racketeering and arson to providing material support for terrorism. Prosecutors in New York, California, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit, and Maryland were among those told to prepare investigative outlines.
The move follows President Trump’s renewed demands to jail Soros, whom he called “a bad guy” who “should be put in jail.” Speaking to NBC News this month, Trump added that Soros and his son should be charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for their support of “Violent Protest, and much more.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to comment on specifics but said at a White House event, “Everything is on the table right now.”
DOJ spokesman Chad Gilmartin defended the directive, saying prosecutors “will always prioritize public safety and investigate organizations that conspire to commit acts of violence or other federal violations of law.”
Open Society rejected the accusations as “politically motivated attacks on civil society, meant to silence speech the administration disagrees with and undermine the First Amendment right to free speech.” The foundation said its work in the U.S. is dedicated to “strengthening democracy and upholding constitutional freedoms,” adding: “Our activities are peaceful and lawful.”
